Daily Republican., 1887-08-05
why AM | A HEATHEH)
Wong Chin Foo's Ideas About Chris-
tianity.
North Amer can Ke ,iew,

Nortn Amercan he3iow.
The main element of all religion is
the moral code controlling and regu
lating the relations and acts of indi.
viduals toward "God, neighbor and
self" and this intelligent "heathen-
ism" was taught thousands of years
before Christianity existed or Jewry
borrowed it, Heathenism has not lost
or lessened it since.
Born and raised heather, learned
and rractised its moral and religious
code; and acting hereunder l was
useful to myself and many others. My
conscience was clear and my hopes as
to future life were undimmed by dis
tracting doubt. But when about II l
was transferred to the midst of our
snowy Christian civilization, and at
this impressible period of life Christi
anity presented itself to me at first
under its most alluring aspects; kind
Christian friends became particularly
solicitous for my material and religious
welfare, and was only too willing to
know the truth. l had to take good
deal for granted as to the inspiration of
the Bible-as is necessary to do-to
ChristianiZe non christian mind; and
/ even advanced 70 far under the spell
of my would-be soul savers that l seri-
ously contemplated becoming the
bearer of heavenly tidings to my "bc-
.nighted" heather people.
But before qualifying for this high
mission, the Christian doctrine would
teach had to be learned, and here on
the threshold l was bewildered by the
multiplicity of Christian sects, each
one claiming a monopoly of the only
an narrow road to heaven.
l looked into Presbyterianism only
to retreat shudderingly from the belief
| in merciless God who had foreor-
dsined most of the helpless human race
TO an eternal hell. To preach such a
doctrine to intelligent heather would
only raise in their minds doubts of my
sanity, if they did not believe was
lying.
Then dipped into the Baptist doc
trines, but found 30 many sects there
in, of different "shells," warning over
the merits of cold. water initiation and
the method and time of using it, that
became disgusted with such trivialities
and the question of close communion
or not only impressed me that some
were very stingy and exclusive with
their bit OF bread and wine, and others
little less 30.
Methodism struck me as thunder.
and lightning religion-all profession
and noise. You struck ii or it struck
you, like a spasm-and SO you ''ex'
|perienced" religion.
The Congregationalists deferred me
with their starchiness and self-con-
scious true goodness, and their desire
only for heightened afiiliates.
A number OF other Protestant sects
based on some novelty or eccentricity
like Quakerism-I found not worth
a serious study by the non-Christian
But on one point this mass of %rotes.
tant dissension cordially agreed, and
that was in united hatred OF Catho.
Elicism-the older form of christianity
And Catholicism returned with inter-
est this animosity. II haus Chilly de-
clared itself the only true church, out.
side of which there was no salvation
for Protestants especially; that its
chief prelate was the personal repre-
sentative of God on earth, and that he
was infallible. Here was religious
uni y, power and autho ity with a
vengeance. But in chorus my solici
tous Protestant friends beseeched me
not to touch Catholicism, declaring il
was worse than heathenism--in which
| agreed; but the same line of argu.
ment also convinced me that Protes
tantlsm stood in the same category.
Disguised with sectsrianism, ]
turned to simple study of the ''in-
Ispired Bible" for ightenment.. The
creation fable did not disturb me, mol
the Eden incident; but some vague
doubts did arise with the deluge and
Noah's ark, it seemed reflection on
l q just and merciful divinity. And /
was not at all satisfied of the honesty
and goodness of Jacob or his family, OF
their descendants, or that there was
any particular merit or reason for theiI
being the ''chosen" of God. to the det.
triment of the rest of mankind; for
they so appreciated Gods special
patronage that on every occasion they
ran after other gods, and had special
tidolatry for the Golden Calf" to
which some Christians allege they are
lstill devoted That God, failing to
make something out of this stitf-necked
Trace, concluded to send his son to re.
ldeem a few of them, and a few OF the
!long-neglected Gentiles, is not strik-
fipgiy impressive to the heather.
! 1t may be fattering to the Christian